An underground fire left about a hundred PECO customers in Center City without power on Thursday.

The transformer fire started near 2nd and Walnut Streets on the border between Old City and Society Hill. The first call, about smoking manholes, came in at 10:45 a.m. Most of the customers without power are in the Society Hill Towers. Read more »

UPDATE: Listing agent Jared Carrell cleared up the two address misunderstanding. The lot holding the house with the blue shutters is the home listed, while the second lot mentioned is not the home with the green shutters on the right. Rather, it’s the lush garden that was formerly the site of an apartment building, which was demolished in the 50s or 60s during Society Hill’s revival. “The house was then fully rehabbed and added on to,” he adds.

Either of these two houses strike your fancy? If you said both, have we got news for you: they’re counted as a single property and are on the market as such for under $1.1 million. Doesn’t hurt that the Society Hill home was built circa 1792, boasts historical certification, and counts a number of Philadelphia’s most well-known structural heirlooms as its neighbors.

The Superfresh in Society Hill is near and dear to the hearts of nearby residents. So, it’s probably a safe bet that near-neighbors will be paying close attention to whatever the future holds for the current site near 5th and Pine. Natalie Kostelni of the Philadelphia Business Journal reports, “Alterra Property Group is in the preliminary stages of a proposal to construct a mixed-use development on a Society Hill property that now houses a Superfresh.”

It’s still early in the process (Alterra has the property under agreement), but Kostelni says that preliminary plans are to demolish the single-story building in favor for a larger, mixed-use apartment complex with “between 12,000 and 18,000 square feet of retail space.” Superfresh has a lease at the site until 2018. Lee Addimando, co-owner of Alterra, tells Kostelni, “we would love to try to bring back a grocery store.”

In Other News:

Some of you might note a vague familiarity about 243C Delancey, especially if you’re a fan of our weekly Jaw Dropper segment here on Property. We got a sense of déjà vu as well, but didn’t fully realize till after its status as our “Trinity Tuesday” pick of the day was sealed: Valerie Buller photographed the snug residence on the 200 block of Delancey.

Buller, you’ll recall, was the photographer responsible for the listing photos of 241 Delancey, a.k.a. her childhood home. “It was a portrait session with the house,” she said then, “[it’s] very much a member of the family.” Well, it appears her easy intimacy with personal spaces is instinctive, as the gallery of this Society Hill home will show. Among the period details she captured are the home’s exposed brick walls, wood-beamed ceilings, and pine floors. One of the living room shots is particularly striking in its understated way, with the bay window overlooking the patio. The airy, yet snug master bedroom on the top floor features a vaulted ceiling and fireplace and, the listing says, “is flooded with light.” We love it already.

We’re telling you now, don’t be fooled by its Society Hill zip code or pretty 18th-century facade. Because even though it’s near the corner of 2nd and Spruce, what we actually have here is a thoroughly updated house with a…let’s say distinctive interior.

Case in point, an entrance bridge overlooking a two-story living room. The partially stone-walled room looks as if it came about after the first floor was likely expanded by breaking through to the lower level. Deepest sunken living room ever? We’d say so. Features here include a built-in bar, arched masonry fireplace with wood stove, and a floating sculpture by Peter Rose.

A man returning home from a club was robbed after he parked his car in Society Hill early on Friday morning, police said today. Cops said one of the robbers was armed with a rifle that appeared to be an AK-47.

The man, 52, returned from a club at around 2:40 a.m. Friday. When he parked his car in the garage at his residence on the 300 block of S. 5th Street, two men approached him and demanded money. One of those men had the AK-47. The robbers escaped with his wallet and iPhone before fleeing in a white SUV. Read more »

As it was their personal pied-à-terre, the current owners felt little need to keep the washer-dryer around in this sky-high penthouse. The machines were removed, therefore, when they got around to renovating the corner unit, but are easily reinstalled should its next occupants wish to have them–though there is a building laundry room and housekeeping is included.

In addition to that remodeling, the former two-bedroom condo was converted into an expansive single-bedroom. This too is easily reverted back to its original layout thanks to the design genius of J&L Designs. Other details of note include 10-foot ceilings, floor-to-ceiling windows, and a fully open kitchen design the listing says is “only possible to achieve on the top floor of the [Society Hill] Towers.”

While it might not feel like it, we promise that warmer weather is right around the corner. What’s the first thing you do when the Mercury rises? You get the hell outside! That’s especially true when your home flaunts three outdoor spaces. One of those is a 360-degree roof deck and Re/Max agent Liz Lutz says that it’s one of the only ones on the block. Even better, it’s grandfathered in, so no one else on the block is getting one of these celestial spaces that offers great views of the city and holiday fireworks. Lutz envisions Ben Franklin strolling by the front windows as he takes in the scene around the romantic cobblestone street. Read more »

If you liked last month’s Naudain Street home for its proximity to Headhouse Square and nearby museums and restaurants, but weren’t too keen on its contemporary style, maybe this brick townhouse at Blackwell Place will be more up your alley.

Situated in Society Hill’s historic district, 2 Blackwell Place is in the middle of a tree-lined court. According to the listing website, it’s almost a century old but has been newly renovated and has both east and west exposures for tons of natural light. There’s a private landscaped patio, modern floor plan, and–in addition to having three floors–a finished basement that’s viable as a gym or media room.

If there was ever a time to shamelessly plug our new Photo of the Week feature, it would probably be now.

Not to diminish the beautiful work of Valerie Buller, founder of Rough Coat Photography, but it goes without saying that her photos of this Federal townhouse certainly have an intimate atmospheric quality iPhone patrons might appreciate and use as inspiration for their #phillyscape pics on Instagram and Twitter. (And check out that blue #phillyhomeportrait-friendly front door!)

Of course, that should come as no surprise given that Buller can call 241 Delancey her childhood home. (No exaggeration, she was born at CHOP and grew up in the Society Hill home that’s now listed for over $1.47 million.)

“It was a portrait session with the house,” the photographer tells us of the shoot, which, using her Nikon D7100, Buller says she approached from an angle of love. The house “is very much a member of the family,” she adds.